Heart of the Story
by Armontentia
Summary: You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning. - The Tudors, King Henry VIII. Drabbles on a mixture of characters - minors and majors.
1. Merope - 1926

_Merope _

She does not need to live and see her son grow up to know that he will look exactly like his father.

Beautiful, beautiful Muggle Tom Riddle and his flawless face. She smiles down at the bundle in her weak arms that the Nurse still has to support, just in case Merope's arms fail completely. She is dying. She knows she is. And it saddens her greatly to know that her perfect son will never know his Mother.

But she believes she is leaving him with a good life at this Orphanage.

A better life than she ever had, anyway.


	2. Myrtle - 1942

_Myrtle_

Tom Riddle.

That is his name.

And he is _perfect_.

She sees him in a different way to others. She can see the softness inside him that he only ever reserves for _her_. She can see how the dark eyes people wince at are actually able to see into another's soul – not in an _uncomfortable _way, either. In a way that makes her feel loved, understood, _at last_. How his mouth does not smirk in a mocking way, but because he has tricked her into giving him sacred information about her.

At least, that's what Myrtle tells herself.


	3. Fenrir - 1949

_Fenrir_

A terrifying shriek.

"Mother, help!"

No reply.

"MOTHER!"

The house behind him? Silent.

"F-father?"

He wonders, despite the torture he is being put through, if it is giving him the experience of such grief that he starts to imagine the death of his father has been undone.

"STOP IT!"

The lanky boy with ragged hair sobs and weeps uncontrollably, screaming from pain, with no idea what is going on, being too young to understand the cruelties of the world.

Pinning the boy down to the ground is a starving werewolf, though behind the blood-craving, ferocious eyes, there is slight guilt and sorrow. She is silently apologising to the boy, praying for his forgiveness, but as much as she tries to hold herself back from sentencing her victim to a life of pain, misery, judgement and cruelty, there is no way to do such a thing.

The werewolf - sensing there is no more life for her to take and replace with the one of suffering from lycanthropy - moves off the child. The light from the full moon shines down upon the body of her; scratches; cuts; scars; scabs, bruises. They are all shown, highlighted by the rays of the orb hanging in the pitch black sky.

She looks down upon the boy once more and the beast inside of her sneers and snarls.

The woman, however, wails with wishes that he will not make it through to the next morning.

After all, at least it would be better than remaining alive.

Her eyes move to the small, uncared-for home he inhabits. Is his mother in such a deep sleep she has not heard the screams and yells her son has been letting out into the night and echoing around the small village?

Would that be for the best?


	4. Cygnus I - 1951

_Cygnus_

Cygnus looks down on his new daughter – no, his _only _daughter; his only _child _- with disgust. Dear _God_, how has he managed to produce a _female_? Yes, she is even beautiful as a baby, and it is clear she has inherited the Black looks, but he was supposed to have a _male heir_.

An emotion stronger than anger – or fury – or _rage _– overpowers him as he lifts his gaze into Druella's sharp grey-blue eyes, ones that hold feelings he can not identify.

"You have failed me."

"Or, perhaps, you have failed yourself," she says. "After all, I had no control over what sex the child growing inside my womb would be. I do not understand how you can say I am the problem here, when there is still no spell that could have ensured I produce a boy, Cygnus."

"It is not just I," he retorts, livid, "Lord V- the Dark Lord himself! He is expecting us to give him a male so he has a powerful follower in the future! And now a _girl_!"

"He may still be interested," hisses Druella, despite having accepted sexism in the past, "there is still the chance Bellatrix will live up to her name! _Female warrior_, Cygnus! She could go far!"

"I truly doubt it, Druella, as his only recruits are _men_."

"You may refuse to open your mind and see other possibilities, but the fact is that the Dark Lord himself stated there is change coming, along with his war. It is painful enough to be aware that my first born will not grow into the same world I have, but one where–"

She is cut off as Bellatrix begins to wriggle in her arms, tugging on a strand of blonde hair. Cygnus leaves the room, muttering inaudibly to himself.


	5. Argus - 1960

_Argus_

Argus looks cautiously at the mangled-looking dog on the side of the road. Is it safe to touch? He has heard rumours of children like himself who have suffered from illnesses caused by strays.

The mutt's almost lifeless eyes meet with Argus' own young, bright ones, and any repulsion or hesitation to go over and pet it disappears. He smiles at it, and the dog scampers over, almost immediately burying its matted head into Argus' legs.

Filch crouches down, and since the day his brother had got his Hogwart's letter, but Argus had not, he feels as though he has actual company - willing, welcomed company.

He picks up the dog – that doesn't even struggle in his arms – and takes him to his home, walking straight past his father's shouts of, 'Where the hell have you been, boy?' racing up the stairs, pulling open his bedroom door, and gently lying the stray on his bed.

Argus sits down in front of it, and stays there for the rest of the night, eventually both of them falling asleep together.

Right now, it seems this pitiless, abandoned animal is the only creature that is not repulsed by him.


	6. Lucius I - 1964

_Lucius_

The pale skinned, silvery-blond haired young boy pushes his hands to his ears, trying with all his might to block out the sound, eyes screwed up so they hold back the tears that threaten to escape.

He is in a ball on the floor of the Manor in his parents' bedroom; the place furthest away from the awful shouts, screams of hexes and crashing of valuable objects they will later fix with a flick of their wand and a mutter of '_Reparo_'.

Downstairs, the boy's father, Abraxas, bellows a curse at his wife, his mind slipping from the fact his son is able to hear him. The woman shrieks, letting out a cry as blood gushes from her right arm.

_What made them act like this?_ the boy whimpers to himself, remembering the times when they were all a normal family.

The times when a certain man named Tom Riddle had not torn them apart, when they had been able to sit and have a dinner and not have it end in tears…

When the world was not wrong when they saw the Malfoys out together, thinking they were a perfectly happy part of the pureblood community.


	7. Rita - 1966

_Rita_

Jumping at the confused '_Rita?_' that comes from behind her, Rita Skeeter spins around, unable to stop herself from flinching at the sharp, dark, heavy-lidded eyes gazing into her own green ones.

"Is that _Rabastan_?" Bellatrix Black snickers, shoving past her blonde friend, before her eyes widen at the copper-haired seventh-year.

"I was not going along with it, Bella," he murmurs, somewhat reassuringly but embarrassed at hit position on the dungeon floor.

Rita's face turns crimson, and tears of humiliation sting from behind lowered eyelids.

It is true: Rodolphus Lestrange (however many girls he has slept with or dated in the past) has stopped such activities; having done so since the day he and Bellatrix found out of their betrothal.

Uncertain, Black holds out a pale hand, her fiancée grasping it with a much larger one. He mutters something in her ear; though Rita can't understand most of it, she does hear one word - '_slut_.'

The pair glare at her, disgust, hatred and smugness in the boy's expression; betrayal, anger and hurt in the girl's.

Why is it anyone and everyone she has ever cared about ends up despising her in the end?


	8. Bellatrix I - 1966

_Bellatrix_

Heather and pampus grass sways in the gentle summer breeze. There Bellatrix Black stands, curls blowing around her face like a wrongly-coloured halo.

The Dark Lord is stood next to her, but she makes no attempt to acknowledge his presence, other than;

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

With the acres and miles of flowers and grass that stretch out before them, and the winding path that leads down one of the many small hills - and though he has never truly cared about landscapes - he understands what she means.

"It is."

"It's a shame I can rarely come here," she sighs, using her voice in a soft tone.

"Oh?"

"Mama and Papa forbid it. They say that Muggles live too close for it to be safe here."

He frowns. "I can not see any Muggles."

Glancing at him, she gives a small laugh. "They live a three hour walk away from here. Apparently that's too near our Manor for my parents' liking."

"You and your sisters would not befriend a Muggle, though, would you?"

"'Dromeda might. She's…" struggling to phrase her words right, Bellatrix gives an aggravated noise inbetween another sigh and a fond snicker. "..._unusual_."


	9. Bellatrix II - 1967

_Bellatrix_

Bellatrix lays on her right side, so still that anyone who might enter the room could mistake her for dead, facing the semi-darkness that the setting sun does not light up.

"_Up_!" her tutor hisses, irritation evident in his usually calm, quiet voice.

When she does not even blink, he moves so he towers over her body.

"I did not take you on – _and waste my time teaching you_," at this, he kicks at her hip, " – for nothing," he hopes that this will get some sort of reaction out of her, but instead three single drops of wetness roll down her perfect, soft, pale cheeks, and she remains perfectly silent. "Perhaps my men were right. Perhaps _you _– a mere _female _– do not possess the power to learn the Dark Arts from me. Do I need to remind you that a war is on the horizon and this might change the world for good? That it may mean only Purebloods are in power permanently? I truly thought you wanted to be a part of it – yet you are only sixteen – was I wrong?"

This makes her let out a strangled sob, combined with a "_No, _my Lord!" and a leap to her feet. He sneers, mocking how she can become so irritated so _easily_.

"I truly hope not. Now, try again."

The Dark Lord corrects Bellatrix's posture; her wand raised more to the left; her head held higher; her back straighter; her knees bent. He does not hear how her breath hitches in her throat, see how her eyes flutter the slightest bit, and how she leans into his touch just a tad.

Instead, he places a kiss on the top of her mass of pure black corkscrew curls, whispering a gentle 'good girl'.

How he loves teasing her.


	10. Andromeda - 1970

_Andromeda _

She blanches when she sees the people present - it is not necessary for them to show off their arms for her to know who they are.

She watches how those who were once enemies at school sit with each other, laughing at one another's dark jokes and tales. When Rabastan meets eyes with her, she retreats back behind the door, not wanting anyone else to see her until it can not be helped.

Bellatrix appears: Andromeda holds in a gasp. The wedding dress fits her perfectly and the laced detail and pearl embroidery are truly beautiful. The long lace veil ends where the train of her dress begins, covering her face, and it is held in place with a band of cream roses.

"Stop looking at me like that," she laughs, while Cygnus comes around the corner and takes her arm in his own.

"Don't put her off."

His lined face is softer than normal while he lifts the thin silk sheet covering Bella's face slightly to kiss her on the cheek. Arms oustretched, Andromeda half-runs towards Bellatrix, and they embrace. Narcissa soon joins when she finds them -for a moment it's like it was when they were younger - unbeatable, invincible, with Bella as their shield, their guardian angel to protect them from harm. But then it ends, and they have to face reality again.

The two younger girls step behind the bride and their father, before the doors open slowly – for effect – and the traditional music starts to play.

Bella's soon-to-be husband's brother grins at Andromeda, who smiles only the slightest bit in return.

If she is honest with herself, she always was a good actress. And if she is even more truthful, she could not be more broken inside.


	11. Bellatrix & Rodolphus - 1970

_Bellatrix & Rodolphus _

"Rodolphus."

Bellatrix shakes her muscular husband, who is in a deep sleep on their bed, without getting any sort of a response.

"_Rodolphus_."

A soft growl escapes his lips, and she laughs, before prodding her finger into his side.

"Bella, I'm _tired_." His voice is deep and would surely intimidate or threaten any person alive.

Apart from his wife.

Moving on top of him, Bellatrix rests her flush on Rodolphus' chest, straddling him. His eyelids snap open, revealing yellow, cat-like irises. Cocking one eyebrow, he raises a rough hand and buries it into Bellatrix's black curls. A low and rumbling chuckle fills the room, but she does not moan the words he constantly longs to hear. Instead, she sighs a command with a childlike attitude.

"You need to get up. You _know _my Mother. Even though I'm almost twenty she acts as if I'm a nine year old."

Eyes roaming around her cleavage, he smirks.

"What if we don't go?"

As tempting as Bellatrix finds that, she laughs again, knowing that her Mother will find a way to embarrass herself without the eldest Black daughter being there.

"That wouldn't work."

Rodolphus smashes his lips against her own, biting down slightly on her tongue. He slaps her around her bloody _perfect _face, and she giggles–a noise that is most peculiar and equally rare to hear from Bellatrix' lips–in pleasured satisfaction.

"What was that for?"

"_Waking me up_."

"But you need to come with me!" she whines, tracing the Dark Mark printed on Rodolphus' muscular left arm.

He grabs her slender wrist, knowing that even though Bella is acting as though she never consumed seven bottles of alcohol last night, her hangovers have proven to put her life in danger around the Dark Lord in the past.

So, it would not bode well for her to summon the Dark Lord when she is clad in only black lingerie.

Sitting up so she slides down onto his lap, he kisses her gently on the flesh that belongs to her cheek, which is currently blossoming with purple bruises.

"Get dressed," he murmurs, "I'll fix your face for you."

She snorts. "It's not that bad. You make it sound as if you smashed it up."

Grinning apologetically, Rodolphus watches her put on a thin over-robe.

"I could do that, too, if you wish."


	12. Rodolphus I - 1971

_Rodolphus_

Rodolphus faces wife, expressionless–or so he thinks.

Bellatrix laughs, wrapping an arm around his neck.

"Rod, I'll be _fine_."

"It's dangerous, though…"

"You're the one who formally introduced me to him," she says smugly.

He rolls his eyes, giving a sarcastic chuckle. "Only because you were _there_. Frankly, I thought Narcissa was going to kill me when she found out. And if you get hurt-"

"Which I won't-"

"It'll be _my _fault."

"The Dark Lord seems to trust us. _Both _of us. I know that if I fail him, he'll punish _you_, too. So I promise I'll try my best to stay on good behaviour. Anyway, the mission might be dangerous, but he's with me. I won't get hurt by anyone but him." She smirks confidently.

He sighs, glancing at the approaching cloaked figure behind Bella. It is easy to recognise the Dark Lord with his almost white skin and lanky figure. "He's here," the male Lestrange murmurs, and she spins so fast Rodolphus is surprised she doesn't fall over.

"I'll be fine," she whispers.

He does not fail to realise she is mostly talking to herself.


	13. Bellatrix III - 1971

_Bellatrix  
><em>

She can hear the heavy, panting breaths of her sister, though Andromeda is considerably ahead. Bellatrix is far too weighed down with disbelief to run as fast as she would normally have been able to.

"Get back here!"

For a moment, just a heartbeat, Andromeda hesitates - wonders - _should she go back? _However, she then carries on sprinting.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU BLOOD-TRAITOR!"

The words, though surely they hurt the brunette, have no effect on making her obey.

Years of friendship – for what?

To be ran out on by the one person she thought she could trust with her life?


	14. Rodolphus II - 1972

_Rodolphus  
><em>

He wakes up from a sleep he can not remember falling into, instantly realising why his eyes are now open instead of closed.

Screams.

_Her _screams.

He knows that he will be easily heard if he starts searching carelessly for the doorway into the room her cries are coming from, so silently stands from his bed. Every five steps he takes is accompanied by another piercing shriek, and before he can stop himself, he is running, running, running.

Suddenly the screams stop, followed by a muffled voice, high and quiet. He can only run in the darkness of the night; unable to see anything but black, having to put his hands on the patterned wall – though he has no idea how he knows it is there – to make sure he does not fall over.

Although he is aware of the almost-silence probably meaning his wife is no longer in danger, he remains terrified.

And then he wakes up – in reality, this time – covered in a cold sweat, hair plastered to his forehead and tears rolling off of his face.

At least she is next to him – even if she is staring at him like _he _is the mad one.


	15. Cygnus II - 1972

_Cygnus_

"Cygnus, Cygnus, _Cygnus_…"

The Dark Lord circles the curly-haired man on the floor with several regretful, exaggerated breaths as he exhales.

"I knew that incest ran in the Black family – well, _all _pureblood families – but _this_?"

The middle-aged man remains silent – terrified – _frozen_.

"I will protect your daughter, Cygnus. I would normally expect my followers to take care of themselves, but… dear Bellatrix is a different case."

The only thing that runs through Cygnus' mind is a single thought.

_How? How is she special to this monster of a man? **Why?**  
><em>

"And I do not believe that she can be_ truly_ protected with you alive."

Cygnus' eyes widen.

"It is a shame," the Dark Lord sighs, "that it has come to this."

"I-I promise I'll l-l-leave B-Bellatrix be… my Lord, I swear to you..." Cygnus croaks.

"The things is, my dear man… it matters not for your promise. It matters that you have violated your daughter in such a way that she remains paranoid at her age of twenty-one. She acts more…" the Dark Lord considers his choice of words with a hint of a sneer, "_panicked _than I'd like her to be."

It is hard for Cygnus to do it – but he understands the meaning behind those soft, cleverly, carefully phrased words.

"Y-_you_ have tried to… _rape _her?" Despite his terror, he is twisted enough to find honour in such a thing.

"I would not consider it _rape_ when she is _willing_. More than willing, if I am truthful," the Dark Lord laughs, "but as extraordinary as I am, I still have… _lustful_ cravings. And Bella is the only woman who seems to be capable of fulfilling those cravings."

Then green light blinds him, and he is forever falling.


	16. Rodolphus III - 1973

_Rodolphus_

Frowning in concern and disbelief at the way his Master treats his beautiful, beautiful wife, Rodolphus shares a quick couple of glances with Lucius.

He _isn't _just imagining it, then.

The Dark Lord twists a black, long curl around his thin, bony finger, and Bellatrix appears flustered and flushed from the closeness they are at. Colour rises in her cheeks. Rodolphus is sure that she can feel his cold breath on her face, and though she seems just slightly uncomfortable, both men are aware it is only because she_ knows _her Lord is able to change his mood – he is able to kill her before she can register what is happening.

Bella smiles weakly at something he murmurs in her ear, her eyes full of fear, lust, confusion.

Suddenly - and the male Death Eaters feel their eyes widen - the Dark Lord's lips kiss Bella's neck. His hands slide – slowly, slowly – down her curving body, and they each know his – perhaps passionate – plans for the evening.

He starts to nibble at her skin delicately, and she is frozen; she does not know what to do – refuse and be punished, mocked and humiliated? Or allow him to continue and betray her husband?

Obviously the Dark Lord takes her silence for acceptance, and pulls her out of view from Rodolphus and Lucius' sight.

They do nothing to stop it.

They can not.

Rodolphus feels as though his heart has shattered. He begins to silently cry. _How could she do this to him? _Had _he _not been faithful to their marriage? _Or maybe_, he wonders, _it is punishment for not at least __**attempting **__to lead her away from this dark life?_

It is punishment enough: he collapses, only seeing a blurry slither of white-blonde hair – and the rest is darkness.


	17. Narcissa & Lucius - 1974

_Narcissa & Lucius_

Well aware of the hatred between her sister and her fiancé, Narcissa only just manages to prevent herself from rolling her outlined eyes when she catches Bella staring at the blond at the alter, eyes in slits. It does bug her that even on her wedding day, Bella must make a scene out of her issues with people Narcissa must see regularly.

But as she floats down the aisle, Bella does one of the things Druella ordered her not to do – she looks back to her sister, eye back open to their usual size and a smile on her lips that she saves just for Cissa. When Druella glares at them from the front, Bellatrix just snorts – not loud enough to hear over the music, but loud, all the same. Passing Rodolphus, she winks, he smirks; again, Narcissa feels that bugged feeling in the her stomach.

But one look at her soon-to-be husband, and all her annoyance drifts away into the air. And when she places her delicate hand into his bigger one, she gets those butterflies in her stomach, and knows that for the rest of their lifetime as a married couple, he will be her salvation from Bella.


	18. Severus - 1973

_Severus_

It feels like a thousand and more pointed blades are being stabbed into his chest – in, out, in, out, in, out, in – _stuck_. The imaginary daggers twist and turn and dig even deeper – _deeper, deeper _– and unfamiliar, jagged sharp nails claw at his heart, ripping it, shredding it and knotting the flesh until he is sure he will collapse.

The boy with messy black hair practically _unclothes _her with his eyes, but Severus knows she is better than to give in like so many others have. She narrows her beautiful, almond green eyes and wittily retorts something to Potter.

And Severus Snape feels like he could scream – shriek – shout – yell cry - – _scream, scream, scream_.

He is glad, of course, that James Potter has not yet made Lily Evans fall into the trap he sets up to seduce the females of Hogwarts – but knowing she is even _talking _to him makes him want to curse Potter so he no longer exists.

The bright green eyes that haunt Severus' sleep roll, a sneer on the lips that he wishes he could kiss as James is momentarily distracted by a seventh-year girl walking past and eyes her up, down, up, down, before remembering the red-head in front of him. He turns back to her, smirking. Lily glares at him, and Snape wants to slap him for insulting her.

"It's bad enough for James that Lily won't let him go out with her, Snivellus. Don't make it worse by trying to get her for yourself."

Severus turns around slowly, and he is half-thankful for Sirius Black deciding to interrupt the unmeant torture being inflicted upon him.

It is probably - no, definitely - the first and last time he feels such a thing -_ gratitude _- to the Pureblooded boy nicknamed Padfoot.


	19. Peter - 1974

_Peter _

Pettigrew has no idea whatsoever how he's involved with the Marauders.

He doesn't have the guts to join in bullying the people Sirius and James bully - he doesn't have the guts to stand up for them, either. He isn't rebellious (Sirius). He doesn't calm the others down (Remus). He isn't clever, or funny, or the one girls fawn over, or witty, or brave (he doesn't understand how he 's in Gryffindor, either), or charming, or good looking.

People look at him in confusion when he's with his friends.

He doesn't belong.


	20. Lily & James - 1976

_James & Lily_

Lily walks speedily in the heavy rain, trying to reach the castle before the weather gets even worse.

Soaking–even with her cloak and coat hoods pulled up–she bites her lip when a rumble of thunder sounds above her. Wind that knocks the breath out of her blows against her, and she pulls her clothes tighter around her body.

Suddenly, some sort of shelter covers Lily's head, and she looks up–startled–to find James Potter on his broomstick, grinning; and holding a scarlet red umbrella.

"Come on, Evans, you know you'll catch your death out here."


	21. Narcissa - 1979

_Narcissa_

She hates him. She truly, truly hates him. She utterly _despises _him.

He knows. Of _course_ he knows. He passes her in the halls of her and Lucius' home and he smirks with his thin lips. He does not punish her for it – if anything, he indulges in it.

She does not even hate him for the same reasons as every other person does. She hates him for Bella's sake – she hates him for what he's done to her sister. She hates him for breaking her. He has destroyed Narcissa's guardian angel; her carer, her best friend.

She hates him.


	22. Olive - 1980

_Olive_

When Moaning Myrtle died, everyone blamed Olive.

'_She was in there because of __**you**__,' _they'd shout.

Even the first ones to start bullying Myrtle – even the bullies who were the worst – told her that daily. All because of one little remark about Myrtle's _glasses_! The spectacles were huge and _filthy_! She never said one bad thing about Myrtle's complexion, or her blood, or her popularity – unlike nearly every other person. It was _not _her fault that Slytherin's monster chose Myrtle as their particular victim! Myrtle was the one _stupid _enough to skip lessons and meals to go and hide in the lavatories at such a time!

The Professors gave her filthy looks, the other ghosts would often stop and stare at her – and if they were in company of another ghost, they'd whisper – _'how ashamed she must be.'_

Myrtle haunted Olive since the day of the attack. She often considered throwing an insult at the girl such as – _'Your appearance is awful even when you're dead, isn't it, Moaning Myrtle?' _– but did not, in realisation it would do no good for her.

Myrtle never haunted the other bullies.

And even on her death bed, Olive finds this all incredibly unfair.


	23. Sirius - 1983

_Sirius_

The terrifying noise fills each insane prisoner with an energy they have no way of using. It echoes off the walls; it will leave any sane person scarred for life – whether they are a visitor or a wrongly captured criminal.

Sirius Black is innocent.

And yet he suffers. He is forced to listen to his deranged cousin's laughter and screams. He knows she is lost – she has been lost for many years, now.

Then there is dear Bella's husband. Though not quite as demented as she – _odd_, Sirius thinks, _when she is in love with another_ – he has often heard deep, throaty chuckles from the cell – _or perhaps cage is a better word _– so close to his own.

Other Death Eaters shriek and snigger throughout the days and nights they endure in the prison. It is known that nearly every single one of them has given up hope.

Perhaps the reason Bellatrix is still alive is because of the faith she has in the man – the one who _made _her become lost, who took her away – she yells will return.

These are the cackles of the mad.

And there is no way for the innocent to escape them.


	24. Bellatrix IV - 1996

_Bellatrix  
><em>

The grey, miserable walls that make the circular room are gloomy, and if someone should enter the dungeon-like chamber, they will surely not give them a second glance; if a first one at all.

However; white, bony, long fingers trace waving lines along the bricks as if they are precious. The movement comes to a sudden, unexpected stop, and the palm is placed gently as a replacement. Smooth, cold skin meets with rough, colder surface. The owner of the odd hand almost leans into the wall, before giving a frustrated sigh. They snatch a bird of prey's talon shaped wand from a collection of other unique wands on the shelves, caressing it a little and lighting their own with a murmur of 'lumos'. This strange voice – though high – is undoubtedly a male's. Walking gracefully, he makes a gesture with his hand at cloaked, masked men, and they immediately split into small groups. Only the white-skinned man remains alone.

His destination is at the very top of Azkaban, where he knows that only the most dangerous prisoners are kept.

Ascending the crumbling, spiralling stone staircase, the man can identify cackles and screams of the insane, and when he reaches the very end cell, he halts, examining the female inside it.

She has wild, waist-long, black now-streaked-with-grey, tangled curls that hide her sunken, grimy face, looking down upon what he assumes is a beetle, while it crawls along her shaking, skinny hand. He edges toward the figure, and she glances upwards with lifeless black eyes and a skull-like face. He can see she is so thin that nearly all the bones in her neck stick out against her filthy pale skin.

It is odd, he thinks, that even after all these years; even after any good looks he had before he fell have left him; she knows it is her beloved Lord. Her saviour.

Crawling forward, Bellatrix looks at him, with a child-like curiosity and her head cocked to one side like a confused puppy.

"Master?"

Her voice is raspy, quiet and unused. She begins to cough, and her tongue is white, teeth rotten. A wave of his wand, the bars of her cell disappear, and she giggles, despite her half-choking.

"What have they done to you, Bella?" His words are said with slight disgust.

She is too mad to notice.


	25. Lucius II - 1996

_Lucius_

He has failed everyone. He has failed the Dark Lord. He has failed his wife. He has failed his son, and now he can only imagine what they must be enduring due to his Master's fury aimed at Lucius not getting that prophecy – _that damned prophecy _– and he feels like this is the lowest he has ever sunk.

The Dementors leave him alone, for the most part. At first, he wondered if the Dark Lord had ordered them not to touch the prisoners. But then he experimented, and thought of Draco's first Christmas.

He was out for 3 whole days.


	26. Draco - 1997

_Draco_

Her gentle skipping comes to an abrupt halt when she sees the sixth-year boy leaning against one of the stone walls of Hogwarts, eyelids closed and hands clutching at his hair.

"Hello, Draco."

His cold grey eyes snap open, a sneer on his face – one that he has very rarely used this past year – at the very sight of her. His hair (almost an identical colour to hers) is released from the strong grasp.

"Loony Luna Lovegood," he mutters, pushing himself up straight.

"I think you could use a Wrackspurt or two; they help when someone is distressed… they may make your mind go fuzzy, but they can also get rid of troubling thoughts. And by the looks of it, you're not exactly at peace."

Draco Malfoy blinks at Luna, trying to think of what a Wrackspurt _is_. When he can not, he supposes it is a creature her mad old father has made up.

"You might be thinking that there isn't a way of that happening, because they are invisible, but I'm sure there's one strategy or another of catching them… Actually, I think Daddy told me once all you need is the Spectrespecs and a jar, of course the jar lid, as well, and it'd be easy enough…" she continues, just as dreamy as ever.

"Look Luna-" sighs Draco, before frowning at himself for using her real name, "I mean _Loony_ – I don't need to hear your ridiculous ideas right now. I've got enough on my mind."

"That's alright. Just think about it - if you have any time to spare."

With that, she walks off with a slight spring in her step down the Charms corridor, humming a slow tune to herself, leaving the pale boy truly, truly confused.


End file.
